Whoa, I'm confused. I think you're switching between two different intents!
1) Hot transfer and racking. This doesn't involve pressure, so the "traditional" choices are vinyl vs silicone. For this purpose, Silicone is more expensive, but seems to last longer and, as you mentioned, is more resilient to heat. Vinyl can still be appropriate, though - for example, I go from a 3/8" ball valve to a Counter-flow chiller using about 3 feet of 3/8" ID Braided (Reinforced) Vinyl hose. I used to use non-braided, but that piece melted too quickly, so I used the braided hose and it works fine. Check your local Lowes/Home Depot/Menards/etc for the best prices. I got 20' of reinforced for less than 8 bucks, and I got 10' of non-reinforced for racking between fermenters for about $1.88 - that's 18c a foot, the LHBS charges 50c a foot.
2) Kegging, specifically liquid and gas lines. Use only actual Beer Line. Vinyl or others will (alledgedly?) rot, warp, blow up, impart off flavors, stain, etc. Most people recommend 3/16" NSF-certified Beer line, there are many places to find this, including almost all online HBS'es by-the-foot (NB, More Beer!, Midwest, Austin). Also check Micromatic.com for their prices, especially on bulk reels if you have a crazy setup (8-tap kegerator or somethin!).
For gas line, some people use 1/4" ID, some people use 5/16" ID. I personally use the latter. Again, look at real Beer line, don't risk safety just to use something cheaper. You're dealing with compressed gas and pressure, always be safe and use your head!
As far as I know, there is not a "do-it-all" type of hose. Maybe someone else has an idea.
